To Share A Simple Meal
by UnedeofMirkwood
Summary: Here is the story of the first dinner Legolas shared with Unede and her family. Hinted at in the first chapter of A Golden Dawn: An Uncommon Beginning. Tis just a silly tale that Unede is sure to never hear the end of.


Here is the story of the first dinner Legolas shared with Unede and her family. Hinted at in the first chapter of A Golden Dawn: An Uncommon Beginning. Tis just a silly tale that Unede is sure to never hear the end of.

The Year 830 of the Third Age

Unede recited the names again in her mind, Uncle Olwe, Cousin Ingwe, Nellas, Beleg, Penlod, and Prince Legolas. She said them over and over again as she wrung her hands and pulled on light shoes and tied a ribbon around the waste of her kirtle. Everything would be fine, it was her family and her friends, and really truly, this whole dinner affair had been Aunt Indis's idea. "Invite your guard friends to dinner before your first assignment" She had said eagerly. Unede knew she wanted to send them off with a belly full of stew and a head fuzzy with wine, her aunt had the same familiar ritual when Uncle Olwe was sent on out into the forest every six months on patrol.

So, under the scrutiny and gentle pestering of her aunt, Unede had approached her friends, invited them to dinner and told Indis to expect her to bring four guests, in addition to her self, her cousin, and her Uncle. Yes, she though, everything will be fine. They will eat, and be jolly, and no one will bat an eye when the Prince of their realm walks through the door. It was just a casual meal in her Aunt and Uncles home, to celebrate the dedication they shared for the protection of Green Wood.

She put wine and tea leaves into a cloth bag, and climbed down from her tree down and began the walk along the winding stone paths to her families cottage. Again, she tried to soothe herself, because it wasn't a secret that she had been paired to train many times with the Prince. Nor was it a secret he had helped her with archery. It should be no surprise, to anyone, she thought, when he comes to dinner, because for several centuries they had been friends. Albeit on the training fields.

At last she came to the ivy-covered cottage on the edge of the market place, tucked in between overgrown gardens, and a tinkling stream. Already she saw Beleg and Ingwe clapping and dancing to her Uncle's fiddle, and her heart swelled at her friends and family finding joy before the heaviness of their task met them in the weeks to come. Smoke whisped up from the chimney and she knew Aunt Indis had a stew boiling in an iron pot and the smell wafted through the air.

She waved her hands above her head in a greeting, and was met with tight hugs, and a swift glass of wine and for a few moments they forgot about the task ahead of them. Between their conversations and laughter Nellas arrived, with offerings of bread and cheese, and soon after her Penlod came carrying a tray of tarts. Theirs spirits warmed as the daywore on, and in the amber light of the late afternoon Aunt Indis tipped her head out the window and called the group into the cottage for the meal.

Unede watched her friends and family make their way through the front door she suddenly found her heart a little heavier as she realized that in the hour it had taken them to gather together and make ready for dinner, Legolas had not arrived. She waved the feeling from her heart, and chastised herself. They were sparing partners, no more, she should not feel such a wavering in her chest. But her aunts call broke her thoughts, and she made her way into the house, where a fire burned heavy in the hearth, and the first course of the meal had been laid out.

She sat next to the empty chair in the middle of the table, drank deeply of her wine, and joined the conversations before her. It was not until the wine had been refreshed and the sun had sank that Olwe stood to give a toast. He clinked his knife on the chalice before him and the table fell silent and waited for his words. But, just as he opened his mouth to speak, a gentle rap came to the door of the cottage and all the heads turned and as the handle slowly turned and the door cracked.

A head popped through, its hair damp with sweat, and ends tangled. The door opened a little more to reveal a hand holding a bottle of wine, and boots caked in mud. And it seemed, as all their faces turned towards the figure, that even that fire had become silent.

Chairs swiftly scraped the wood floors and heads bowed in a mumble of 'your highness' and Unede found herself the sole sitter at the table with her face buried deeply in her hands. The seconds ticked by like hours, and Unede stifled a groan and young little Miriel joyfully rushed from the kitchen carrying a pot of stew in her harms.

"Dinner is served!" She cried with excitement and tried to hoiste the heavy pot above her head to show her treasure with pride. But, just as she was to place the days work onto the table she caught site of the elf before her. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped, and the stew tumbled from her hands and spilled its contents all over the floor. She made a swift and clumsy curtsy and ran as quick as her young legs would carry her back towards the kitchen.

"What in the name of the Valar has happened-" Indis charged into the room from the kitchen wiping her hands on her apron and paused mid-sentence. Her eyes flashed back and forth between the steaming stew that covered the floor and the Prince who stood in her doorway and a harsh red color came to her cheeks. She flew towards the Prince and snatched the wine from his hands. "Get your nasty boots off, and out of my house, by the gods, you can't tramp mud in here!" In his rush to remove his boots Indis took his arm swiftly and roughly began unbuckling his arm guards and tossed them out the door into the garden, followed by the caked boots.

"Honestly, you should have more propriety about you." She muttered and plucked a wet towel from her apron to wipe his face in a huff. "Covered in sweat and dirt for a dinner, embarrassing." Her eyes caught the wine. "That isn't even dorwenion!" She cried. "This is a celebration! I should wright to His Majesty about this."

"Oh no please-." Legolas started, and glanced desperately at Unede only to find her head still buried in her hands. "I, I was just helping the new recruits and lost track of time. I meant no offence in my garb my lady."

"Don't 'my lady', your highness" She threw a finger to his nose. "Go and sit, I ought to make you clean up the stew."

"Please allow me to assist." He said stepping instead towards the soggy mess on the floor.

"Sit down!" Indis cried, her voice cracking a bit.

He took careful steps to the seat next to Unede and sat down gingerly. The rest of the table followed suit. They all looked around carefully at each other, before Olwe gathered himself, and passed wine to Legolas. The Prince raised his glass and drank deeply and tried to hide his red face. After long minutes Unede lifted her head from her hands, looked around the table, felt the color drained from her cheeks, and whispered an excuse to go to the kitchen.

There she found her little cousin shaking and peeking desperately around the corner at the dinner party. She bit her lips and clutched her dress and tried to hide her embarrassment to no avail. Aunt Indis blasted into the kitchen and glared at the pair of them.

"Dropping the stew, all my work." She muttered at the girls. Unede took her cousins hand quietly and gave her a grim smile. "And you-" Aunt Indis looked darkly at her niece. "Inviting the Prince here with no word for me, I wouldn't have trusted the stew to Miriel's buttered fingers. A shame, a crying shame. You said friends-"

"He is my friend." She said bashfully.

"Friends arrive on time and clean!" Indis spat and pulled towels into her hands from the cupboards.

"We spar, and train together, we are friends, it cannot be helped that duty delays him." Unede said quickly.

"Tis rude, and low, his ego overshadows even his fathers if he thinks it fine to come to my house looking like he does. Even Penlod and Nellas brought dorwenion wine, and I know they stole it from the cellars. Uncle Olwe told me the guards sent him a report of their thievery! A shame to his house and our people if he behaves as such, I thought his kind had more chivalry about them."

Unede felt her fists tighten, and she bit her lip. "I'm sorry, I should have told you. I just thought everyone knew of our…familiarity."

Indis hit her with the towel in her hands and Unede cowered before her, before her aunt crossed her arms in a huff. "Everyone spars with everyone! Olwe said nothing to me of friendship or familiarity. Oh and now the stew is on the ground, and I've nothing to serve. Oh a shadow will be on my house."

"Aunt Indis I am sure all will be well. There is still plenty of food, let me help with the cleaning." Unede said desperately.

"You will not, you will go and sit at that table." Indis pointed a long angry finger towards the other room. "And you will think about how to communicate better in the future. What will be next honestly, the King of the realm showing up bloody and battle weary when I have only cheese and bread?"

The curtain of the kitchen pulled back, and Legolas stepped into the room and gave a small bow. But just as his mouth opened, a red face Aunt Indis lifted her hand one more time and screeched "Go and sit!"


End file.
